Kat!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've missed ya!! And a huge HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! to you! (*Looks at all the exclamation points she has written in distaste, but leaves them there, as they best show her excitement.*)

Anyways, just for the record, I knew it was your birthday tomorrow before you said so.

Yeah, this year flew. I guess it's not all bad, but--time goes by so fast!
Hope you had fun celebrating with your friends!!

Which N-webber did you meet??? Sounds like you've been having a fun time!!

-----
*waits in anticipation for something* *nudges Djaq* Ooh, I can't wait.

Sorry, PON, I'm really not sure which part to cut...

*bounces into the Square, listening to "Tonight" by Ernie Haase and Signature Sound* Wow, I can't believe it's already Christmas Eve! And tomorrow's Christmas! *happy squeal* Anyway, better get on to ketchup now...

*waves back to Benjamin* You can call me Lucy, if you like. That's fine. Heh, yeah, I am glad not to have any school this week...it's been great having time to relax. I'm working on rereading Ranger's Apprentice series. The next Ranger's Apprentice book, Erak's Ransom, comes out on January 5! I'm so excited!

*waves back to ceppault* Nice to see you in the Square again! How have you been?

NN95, lol yeah, guess we'll just have to watch National Treasure 1 and 2 till 3 comes out. I've already watched 1 a half dozen times.
Anyway...how have you been lately?

MA!! *hugs* Happy 16th birthday!! Hope you have a wonderful day!

~Lucy

*wanders through Town Square as he awaits a berry bowl of oatmeal to cool down just a bit*

Happy birthday, Miss Aravis. Blessings and Roars!

Uneventful first half of the 48 hour shift. The leftovers from the fire station Christmas party continue to be quite tasty.

*Walks into the square at 8:19 in the morning* I did not sleep into 9:00 this morning

Mortereve All!!!!! *Waves most enthusiastically*

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MissAravis!!! how is your day going? I hope that it has and will go great!

*waves back to Benjamin* You can call me Lucy, if you like. That's fine. Heh, yeah, I am glad not to have any school this week...it's been great having time to relax. I'm working on rereading Ranger's Apprentice series. The next Ranger's Apprentice book, Erak's Ransom, comes out on January 5! I'm so excited!

~Lucy

Okay, Lucy
Oh yeah I can't wait till Erak's Ransom comes out! I have already requested it at my library!

Okay I,m off Bye all!

~Benjamin

Merry Christmas Eve all!

*waltzes into the Square singing "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas* Well, I don't really need to dream of it, because I already have my snow...

*waves back at Libby*

Is there a place where I can upload my page so that you can read without having to look at a picture?

Well, I use writing.com. But you could just copy/paste it onto a PM, I could just do whatever I wanted with it from there. *shrug*

Sorry, PON, I'm really not sure which part to cut...

Same boat as me...

Wow, this is a really short, non-flowing post, but my mind is shot. I can no longer constentrate on sentences and words...

So I close with a very FB flair that sums me up.

Is there a place where I can upload my page so that you can read without having to look at a picture?

Well, I use writing.com. But you could just copy/paste it onto a PM, I could just do whatever I wanted with it from there. *shrug*

Okay I will try to finish it today and then PM it to you..... *Blushes* What I have edited I could not believe it! It was terrible! but don't expect much more lol I,m still leaning quite a bit! or more then quite a bit! lol

*Ruby wanders sleepily into the square wearing her new fleece pajamas and carrying a box of Christmas cookies*

To begin, I'll apologize for my long absence. Christmas vacation was longer than I expected. In the course of a week I celebrated Christmas about four times. Sad to say, but here on Christmas eve I'm pretty much sick of Christmas.

Now, for the important business...

Today just so happens to be a very special someone's birthday...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAT!!

After everything I've missed over the past several days, I didn't want to miss this... Love you Kat! And I hope you have a great birthday, despite your cold.

Well, I have to go now. There's a lot to be done before Christmas (again) tomorrow.

God bless, all! Merry hugs to everyone!

I'd like to see it.... sometime... in the near future.

I said that about wanting to see the extended edition of Two Towers. Ah... that was almost a year ago. I guess now I'm waiting to see if it shows up in my Christmas presents.

Hey, Mel! How have you been?

By the time I get around to answering this, the answer is... I'm recovering from being sick. Since I'm now feeling a lot better than I did yesterday and the day before... *doesn't remember where she was going with the answer anymore*

I'm glad you enjoyed Ever After. Worth what you paid for it, right?

Do they just tell the story and add random zombies? Or do they make all of the characters into zombies? What the heck?

Yes. Actually, all I know about it is hear-say, but I've heard enough that I really don't care anymore. Maybe if I ignore it it will go away...

My favourite cookie that comes out around Christmas time are the Russian Tea Cakes. Apparently just like pon, although we don't make ours. Say, pon, are they easy to make?

Maybe we should expect Wuthering Heights and Werewolves soon.

That sounds... exciting. And rather marketable, given the current mass fascination with werewolves.

Awww, Djaq, congratulations to your sister!!! (That first picture is absolutely adorable!)

Happy birthday, MissAravis!

*sends pon a PM about her story*

Hey all! How is everyone? I'm doing quite wonderfully ... it's snowing, and I'm listening to Christmas music, and Mom is making soup ... it's definitely That Time of Year.

pon, I've only taken a cursory glance at your story, but I'd suggest focusing on just tightening it up, cutting adjectives, etc., rather than looking for whole paragraphs and such to trash. I may PM you a full-scale copy edit later.

*rushes in, dressed with garland about her neck, a Christmas-Tree skirt draped over her shoulders, and lights adorning her hair* Is that frosting on my finger? Hm, gotta lick it! A very, very busy day we're having here. It's all grand, glorious, full of goodwill and cheer, hallelujah-ing, and praising!! =]
But the main purpose of this post is to wish my adored and venerated NWsis Miss Aravis a very, VERY Happy 16th Birthday today!! What a special thing to have it on Christmas Eve! I hope you have the best day ever, sis! Love ya! You're a great blessing to me! I hope this year is even more blessed than your previous fifteen.

Must be off. *trips around the Christmas tree, eats some chocolate, wraps a gift, vacuums the stairs...*

Hey Jojo! That's quite an, erm, ensemble you have there.

MissAravis, if you happen to see this, happy birthday! Do you ever get "combined" Christmas and birthday presents? And does it at all drive you crazy? (I always like to hear different peoples' opinions on this subject.)

Almost done with gift-wrapping. Lunch was grand, except the white chili was too spicy for me. Fresh guacamole, however = . And ditto for the Ella Fitzgerald Christmas playlist I made on YouTube.

Good Mortereve everyone! I hope everyone is well- I am tolerably at least. Excited that tomorrow is Christmas Day, of course.

*waves to Fanny, and notices her new and dashing hat* The way your milliner fixed those feathers is charming! (You're the kind of person I can see wearing a hat all of the time. I wish I was. I'm working on it.... )

*laughs* Why, thank you! *lovingly strokes her long, curly feathers* (Can one have curly feathers?) I do like hats in a way- I never have the ones I really like- I like the big brimmed round ones that one sometimes sees in old movies made in the 1930s...more so in the 1940s movies though. I like top hats and bowlers too...but they hardly look dashing like they do in the Victorian set movies when one does not have coat tails and watch chains and a reason for wearing such lovely costumes... (ie: in Sherlock Holmes episodes the characters look great, but I can't pull off the look quite right. )

You should show your inner goofiness a leetle more often. It's such fun

*bows* Thank you! You do make me laugh! (In a very good way, of course! There's something great about making one laugh, I think, even when it means I have to act a little goofy or something for a few moments. Plus too it comes in nice because it means that you can help people feel better and smile when they're having a problem or a hard time... )

Isn't if fun to talk heritage? I wish I could say I was three quarters British... No. I just have to say that I'm 5/8ths German, 1/8th English, 1/8th Norwegian, and 1/8th Orphan.

As far as I know, everyone behind me were farmers and wives of such. Not being British, we can't trace them very far. Or is that a generalization?

I am most curious to know where the 1/8th Orphan comes from.... But it is fun to talk heritage, I suppose. I mean, I wouldn't want to do it a lot or make a huge deal of it, such as some of those characters in books that make such a big deal of it that they keep their sons/daughters from marrying the ones they love or something such as that all because of pedigree. Which of course is not a very nice thing to do. Well, I suppose I can understand when it's somebody such as Royalty or something, but yeah. You do have an interesting background though- it's probably harder to trace because you have backgrounds from many different countries and places...although at some point there should be a place you could trace it back too.

But I betcha (oh, and apparently I'm all Wisconsin, too) no one else can say that, sides my four siblings. (And they wouldn't remember to say that, because they're all INFP, maybe INTJ, ISTP, and ENFP. )

Ha ha ha! That made me laugh very much! Hurrah for the detailed-loving minds and the minds that remember things like that!

About Canada... I think my parents liked it a lot. My dad for sure. But as my brother was an infant, I don't think he had opinions one way or another. And I know... Canada's really big, and Ontario and British Columbia aren't exactly the same thing, (Hey... you're probably closer to us now, than where they lived then!) but I'm pretending I'm the equivalent of someone from Togo, Africa, who I meet online, who once visited San Diego, and so we can get excited. Does that make any sense at all? Am I just one of those blatherers who blather more to cover up some really idiotic blathering?

That makes heaps and heaps of sense! (If one can truly have a heap of sense....) Nice to hear your parents liked it! Of course, if they didn't I wouldn't be particularly offended either. Now, if it was Ontario that they didn't like... Actually, I am closer to you now than out to British Columbia- from where I live to Vancouver it's a drive of 2 days exactly (or 48 hours.... driving non stop), and I think to the heart of Wisconsin it's about 14-18 hours....I think.

I've been so happy all afternoon/evening, because I got a good score on the college-placement test I took this morning. That means I'll be taking some college classes next semester!

Hurray! Congratulations JoJo!! That's wonderful news- even if it *is* already a week old! Good job!

Fanny, er yes, I think being Polish/British is better than being only slightly German and a mix of random other stuff...like me. Ah well, it is my lot in life...

Aww!

Your logic on bedtime is insurmountably favorable!! I applaud you! It IS always too early; until you realize, around 4 in the afternoon the following day when your eyes droop and you can't think straight, that maybe your parents were right about a 10:30 bedtime.

My dear friend, your logic is, whilst it pains me to the very core to say it, alas insurmountably wise and true. Ah well.

With cookies in between?? Surely, say yes.

Oh yes!

I'm glad you're doing well! I know, time really does fly! Seriously, this year has gone by faster than all my others.

Thanks! *nods* How did your Christmas parties go?

Oh, thank you! Not yet, perhaps I'll watch it tonight if I have time. I do love Fairy Tales.

Hurray! Did you get a chance to watch it? It is such a lovely story. *reads more* Ah! I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it! Wonderful!

FF, yes, we did end up getting the freezing rain, but fortunately it was just a little bit.

Oh, that's cool! Babysitting is fun. Hope it goes well.

Life is pretty busy, I've been wrapping Christmas presents (finally got my Christmas shopping done, thankfully) and finishing up schoolwork, and stuff like that. I can't believe Christmas is only a week away. It's coming up fast this year...

Ah, good! Do you have any more snow now? *hopes*

Thanks! Baby sitting went pretty well, I'd say. It was nice.

Is there anything new with you? I hope that you have lovely Christmas holidays!

*waves to Queen Susan* How are your lessons going? Is there anything new with you?

FF ( )

Hah hah! Very!

How many songs do I play each Sunday? I play maybe 5 or 6 depending on their length. (is that what you wanted to know?)

Yes...although I realized I worded that question really oddly... >_> Anyways. Thanks!

How are twins and their Mom doing?

@ Fanny. Yep, Henry Higgins is name. Sounds like the beginning of some dumb rhyme, doesn't it? Anyway, I can see where it would be a more amusing song/sequence if you disliked him.

Hehe, now that you mention it, I can see the resemblance of Higgins' name to that of someone in a child's rhyme...such as Tom Thumb or Little Boy Blue... or something.

Yeah, there are so many good movies that would be even better if they cut out the cursing. *sigh*

Yes! Or even one little scene that's not so good but the rest of the movie is alright. True, you can skip that scene, but like a friend put it, it's like a fly in the ointment...it's still there even if one does skip it.

How is life going for you? Do you have any big plans for the holidays?

Fanny: Thank you for the prayers, and the hug. School has been going well! We had our last three tests today, and get out Tuesday afternoon. Monday and Tuesday are basically just filled with Christmas programs and parties.

Ohh, and speaking of which... I get my braces off on Monday! I'm very excited.

You're welcome! I hope the last days of school went well for you- it must be nice to have a break now from at least that. How did the braces- removal ceremony go?

Update RE my mom: We picked her up from the hospital Wednesday night, and she was really weak then. Thank God, as of today she's feeling much stronger but the pain is still there. They want to schedule her for surgery, but surgery isn't a good idea. Thank-you for your prayers!

Bella, how is your Mom doing? Is she feeling any better? Still praying!

How have you been faring of late?

Very well, thank you! I've been really excited about the upcoming year- a bubbly sort of excitement that makes me want to get up and laugh or dance or be happy but I don't ('specially dance...'cause I don't know how) because, er, I have my dignity to maintain. But I'm still excited- who knows what God has in store for this new Year! What about yourself?

My, we're finished already! We go through these seasons fast...

Yep, they do feel odd. Yeah, I've noticed there's always a very short scene after the last commercial break, and, if the story's written properly, it should be a wrapping up of all the events and a tying up of all loose ends (often in the Chief's office, like you mentioned), but, you're right, some episodes in Season 3 are action right up until the end. Even some where the bad guy could still harm Max and 99, but you just have to assume that it all turned out well. Oh well...

Heh, well, no worries! They are such a fun thing to watch.

That is certainly true- there have been some episodes like that- the scriptwriters really shouldn't have assumed that we, the audience, would automatically understand it would turn out well- and by leaving the endings open like that it leaves room for quite a lot of fan fiction, eh? Heh, ah well. I suppose we do know they have to survive because there is always more episodes after that...or something. >_>

Annnd that seems to wrap up the catch up. I do hope I haven't missed anyone. If I have, you have my humble apologies.

And last but not least, Happy Birthday MissAravis and Merry Christmas!!

Why, hello Fanny!! How've you been? Violin lessons are going well, thank you!
Thanks also for the reminder that I still have to practice it today. I had forgotten that for a bit!
Not too much is new here I suppose--my grandparents and sister/brother-in-law/niece are here. This is the longest Christmas break I've ever had.

*peeps into the Square* Well, I'm not making a ketchup right now, but I thought I'd just pop in and wish everyone a merry Christmas in case I don't get on tomorrow. My grandparents visited us for the day and we've had a wonderful time! I can't wait for tomorrow.

Anyway, have a wonderful Christmas, SquareOnions!

*Cor and Vern enter the Square discussing the upcoming mornings exchanging of presents*

Mortereve all! Seeing as the hour is late, this will not be a catch-up post. I did want to stop by and mention a few things:

1. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Miss Aravis!!!! This was your sweet 16, correct? I hope it was a great one!

2. Well, no snow in AL. We are getting a very nice downpour of rain this evening..... *pulls out umbrella*

*Unfortunately, it's too late and cold to go fishing this evening.... *

3. Wanted to wish all my dear SquareOnion friends a very merry Christmas!!!! You guys (and girls) are some of the best people I have ever met. It's been a true blessing getting to know each of you.

------------------

And now, I suppose Vern and I should get back to the castle and get a little sleep before the morning.....

Goodnight to all and Merry Christmas!!